Wendy Breaks Down Her Most Iconic Guitar Parts and Her New Rig!
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Wendy Melvoin is a Grammy award-winning guitarist, producer, and songwriter who has written, recorded, and toured with some of the industry's biggest names (Prince and Sheryl Crow, to name a few).
Earlier this month, I built Wendy a new pedalboard using a Vertex Tour Compact with a TC3 riser. After taking the pedalboard on the road, Wendy stopped by the Vertex Showroom in North Hollywood to demonstrate how she's been using her new rig!
Working with Wendy was an absolute pleasure; everyone at Vertex is extremely excited to hear the music she creates with her new "Ambient Board".
Table of Contents:
00:00 Introduction
02:42 Signal Path Walkthrough
06:27 Pedalboard Demo
08:50 "Purple Rain"
14:56 Ambient Tones
17:05 "My Favorite Mistake"
18:57 How is the Clean Tone?
20:57 Wendy's Final Thoughts
21:37 Thanks for Watching!
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CREDITS:
Host/Co-Production: Mason Marangella
Video: Ricky Chavez
Video Editing: Mason Mejia
Co-Production/Design: Mason Mejia
Audio Engineering: Hunter Harrison
#WendyMelvoin #PurpleRain #rigdoctor - Hudba
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Do you have questions about Wendy's Pedalboard? Tell us in the comments below! Also, tell us which tones you dug the most!
My favorite tone was from the Sheryl Crow song. I am curious about the JBL Mark 1's. I looked them up and they were monitor speakers. Was that what she used live on stage?
@@thanehtike JBL speakers in a Mesa Boogie Mark 1
Awesome interview. I remember learning this song by watching the video. Great set of chords for that one!
@@VertexEffectsInc Ahhhh.... Got it! I'm not much of a gear head. My Strat plugs right into the Blues Jr and I call it a day. I'm a new fan... your videos make me wanna go out and buy "Stuff"... lol... keep up the entertaining content... cheers...
No questions but looks good and very professional
Wendy Melvoin! What a treat. She is such an incredible guitarist and artist, and I hope she gets so much more recognition as such. Absolutely deserves it.
Thanks for watching!
Prince was a perfectionist and only surrounded himself with like minded musicians such as himself 💜 Wendy has my respect 🙌
Agreed!
Prince was definitely an emotional player, that was very freestyle which is not a perfectionist, he might have been a perfectionist in finding people/players that fit his leadership and music ideas. If I’m wrong convince me, his show was full of people completely directed by him
Love Sheryl Crow and I’m sure her guitarist is full of thoughts 😮 listening to that rhythm of favorite mistake 😊, love your style but your board is something that belongs to you, it would take me hours to master changes, I would prefer a tech to program a boss 1000 into a nice pre tube for true dynamics 😅
Feel bad for the folks so triggered by how awesome she is to write negative comments. If Prince wants you to play guitar on his records, I’m open the idea you might be pretty amazing.
Wendy is great, if they can't see it, it's their loss!
She is a amazing and so late need and who cares about those losers, so no need to give them any further platform
Agreed - There’s no way you’d hang with Prince (a prodigy) if you couldn’t hang musically or pass the vibe check.
The avg listener or novice musician doesn’t realize the chords/progression from one chord to another are very difficult in some of Prince’s tracks. Not sure if this is due to Wendy being double-jointed, Prince writing songs on Piano first or what. Took me learning multiple tracks in his/their catalogue for me to grasp.
Timing of simple funky riffs, variations on these riffs and surprisingly difficult chords are all small parts of the whole that makes the music and sound more complex. Simply underrated/under-appreciated due to the focus being on Prince, I think.
What negative comments!? Not seeing anything but thoroughly deserved love and respect
She played with prince. Enough said.
God, that intro to Purple Rain. She could play it in a loop for eternity and I'd stay put, listening to it without ever getting bored.
It is a peace of heaven, what an amazing intro.
I worked with Wendy's guitar tech at Ocean Way in the late 1980s and he was floored by her chord vocabulary. She has a remarkable ear for chordal harmony. Her father was also a fucking legend.
Cheers,
Alan Tomlinson
Thanks for chiming in!
I'm sure it didn't hurt that her father Mike Melvoin was a prominent L.A. area jazz musician for many years. I'm sure it rubbed off!
So she was 19 when she had this riff immortalized. Incredible!!!
💜💜💜☔️☔️☔️
She was 19 when she did purple rain ... amazing
The guitar chords in Purple Rain is some of the most beautiful sounding guitar you will ever hear. ICONIC!!!!
Yes!
What a great chat. I hope she's aware of how many people play (or attempt to play) the Purple Rain intro whenever they try out chorus pedals. Such an iconic riff, paired with that effect It's like that and Message In A Bottle are my go-to chorus riffs lol.
Wow! Yes, so true! Know we all know her voicings!
Jamie West Oram/The Fixx is my chorus go to.
RJ! Da Maaaaan!
I Love Wendy! She is truly a guitar hero to me. I know she misses her friend Prince and I hope she lives a long successful musical life.
Yo RJ. Thanks for everything I’ve learned from you.
Purple Rain is an eternal classic .. can’t help but get goosebumps hearing it. It’s haunting .. it’s beautiful arrangement. Prince was fortunate to have Wendy on the team .. she’s badass
Yes indeed!
See here we go he was fortunate to have her when he employed her. She was lucking he gave her a job.
@@lauraveney1412 Those Purple Rain chords and sound are historic. The first chord and the sound of it makes stadiums erupt. If those were Wendy's, then Prince was fortunate to have Wendy on the team. Wendy was very fortunate that Prince allowed her to be on the team. Two things can be true at the same time.
Just learned that she also did the intro to Sheryl Crow's "my favorite mistake". Damn do i adore that riff. What a legend.
Never knew that 😮
Wendy is just as cool as it gets. Talented and so down to earth.
Wendy's humility and grace, combined with Mason's reverence, equates to a beautiful interview. Wendy is the consummate professional, shaped by decades of legendary studio and touring experiences. I'm sure she has zero-tolerance for timewasters yet emotes such calm and warmth. Her beginner's mindset, youthful energy and purity of purpose prove that she is genuinely one of The Greats.
Thank you, Wendy. You were an integral part of the sonic tapestry of my youth-your work on Seal II was glorious.
Thank you, Sir Mason; you're going from strength to strength. As a studio player, I'd be interested in more videos on pedalboards strictly for studio use and how they differ from touring boards.
That clean tone through the GC-2 and Deco was sublime.
Well said and absolutely true.
Thanks for the kind words and suggestions! We'll definitely keep them under advisement!
She is a bit humble in this interview but that has not always been the case.
I spent 4 hours trying to dial in my daughters VOX amp effects, to get the tone Prince once used on the Purple Rain tour.
I had to use a separate distortion and sustain pedal to get it close.
I then paid her $100 to learn the “Purple Rain” solo on the night he played in Syracuse in 1985.
I kinda already knew it myself so, she had a head start with me teaching her what I knew already.lol
Long story short, she goes by the artist named H.E.R. now and has 5 Grammys and an Oscar.
I was blown away when she told me she would be doing the Grammy Tribute to Prince show.
She has a signature Strat now too and a guitar tech that doesn’t have to spend 4 hours dialing in her pedal board.😂👍🏾🙏🏾🎸🥰
👍👍👍
Is she really your daughter?
Props to her. I dislike most new music but she's on a very small list of new artists I give props to whenever I'm in a musical discussion. I look forward to seeing her continued growth in the field. As good as she is, I know she'll only get better. After all, Purple Rain is actually Prince's 6th album.
@@TBoogy3 Yes,Gabi is my oldest daughter.
I have two other girls, no boys.lol
I am more of a blues guitar player but Prince has been a HUGE influence on me since 9th grade of high school when Purple Rain debut in theaters.
I always reminded Gabi that there has NEVER been a black female pop artist that could play guitar like Prince or Jimi and sing like Aretha Franklin.Sure, there are many female “guitar shredders” but in my opinion, their songwriting isn’t great and their vocals are mediocre.
Gabi is a phenomenal pianist too by the way.
It’s what I taught her how to play first.
By age 12, she could play and sing better than most keyboard players I knew personally.😆
@@GabiWilsonTV were almost the same age. Your influence set her on the right musical path. Lol. Props to you too, for a job well done. And best wishes for your personal endeavors as well.
@@GabiWilsonTV of yeah, and I've seen her playing piano as well. :-)
And that clip of her being interviewed as a child.
She's definitely a prodigy, just like our friend Prince.
Wendy is one of the goats 🐐, don’t get it twisted. Her chord play & rhythm guitar work is legendary. Prince recruited nothing but the best, and she is absolutely in that pantheon. If you think different or want to throw shade on her for any reason,, you’re a fool.
Wow so SHE played the opening part to Purple Rain. Mind blown 🔥
Would love to see her interviewed by Rick Beato! Get into it real deep and show her professionalism as a player, songwriter, arranger. Always dug her style.
That would be cool!
Wendy is such an undercelebrated guitarist. I just love her.
Agreed!
That first Purple Rain chord is pure and absolute voodoo.
Real fans of Prince recognize the brilliance in Wendy. As a prodigy, I doubt he’d waste time on musicians that couldn’t hang. I replied to another commenter re: chords and her being double-jointed.
I’m a huge fan of Prince (& The Revolution) and have played guitar for many years. By no means an expert, but most have considered me “good” - The avg listener or novice musician doesn’t realize the chords/progression from one chord to another are very difficult in some of Prince’s tracks. Not sure if this is due to Wendy being double-jointed, Prince writing songs on Piano first or what. But I am 100% on your side with this. Took me learning multiple tracks in his/their catalogue for me to grasp.
Timing of simple funky riffs, variations on these riffs and surprisingly difficult chords are all small parts of the whole that makes the music and sound more complex.
FINALLY confirmed it was a CE1!!!!
Finally we heard it from her and no more “theories”
The pedal has now become even more collectible by a factor of 10
Yes!!! In mono no less!
@@VertexEffectsInc I had heard she used a Roland jazz chorus amp JC-120 which essentially has the equivalent of the CE1 built in but now it’s all clear. Thanks so much for finally asking her THE question
Dont you just love this woman. I know i do! She is such a great guitarist, and a lovely person.
Couldn't agree more!
I love her candor and honesty. Not all techs are artists and not all artists are techs. She’s an artist who knows what she wants. I love it
The best!!!
I was a bouncer at First Avenue 7th Street Entry and Sam's as it was called just prior while at the University of Minnesota. I saw the very first of Prince and crew as they played and hung out there. I worked most of their shows. I did appreciate their abilities for sure but I almost regret to say I did not appreciate them enough or certainly not as much as I do now. Awesome tech talk here.
I have always loved Wendy. She is a top of the line guitarist. Prince thought so much of her to be in his band. Amazing that she was only 19 when she did Purple Rain. Prince had excellent taste in picking band members. i wish, Wendy, the very best moving forward in all that she does.Peace
This is one of those interviews I cannot stop watching, especially since Wendy played such a huge role in the magic Prince put out during this era. People have to remember that she absolutely floored Prince, who similarly to Michael Jackson was notoriously difficult to please.
Amen to that!
Thank you for sharing. Wendy is obviously a TOTAL legend!
Thank You Wendy!
One of the most underrated, under appreciated musicians of all time.
💜💜💜
Underrated, yes, but she still shines so radiantly💜deep respect for her talent and wisdom.
How do you figure? How do you know she’s “under appreciated”? How are you measuring that?
I joined the Navy in June of '83 got out of boot camp spent 10 months in Millington Tennessee then on to aircrew school in Pensacola Florida..... When the movie came out. I was 21 driving a 78 Datsun 280Z burgundy with gold pinstripes blasting the movie soundtrack every minute of every day I was in that car. Man what some awesome memories! Thank you Wendy!
She did that at 19? Wow. Legend.
Wendy? Yes Lisa
Is the water warm enough? Yes Lisa.
Shall we begin? Yes Lisa.
Love this talented lady x
💜💜💜
Here I am watching this, almost 40 years after first hearing a Prince song.....in the car with my dad, a song on the radio that I really wanted to know who it was from. At a stop light (I know exactly where) I asked to turn the radio louder hoping the dj would say the artist's/bandname.....and he did....Prince - When doves cry. Soon after I bought the album, dad in tow liking me getting an own musical taste....he liked the Purple rain song too....even my mother, who wasn't that into music at all, kind of liked it. Saw the movie, bought all earlier records, my first big concert was a Prince concert......my musical hero. And with the Revolution it was arguably the greatest Prince era....although everything he did was just marvelous. But come on....Wendy & Lisa were f-ing great, dr. Fink, Bobby, Dez.....I tried to keep up with everything Prince related too....lots of albums, of course Wendy & Lisa's solo stuff.
My son walked by and said 'who's that then?' and I hummed the Purple rain intro saying 'she's the one who came up with that'........and we forever love you for it Wendy and everything you did.
💜💜💜
I love seeing session musicians getting the credit they deserve. They're the unsung heros of the recording world.
Yes!!!
Absolutely!!!
Just seeing this. I have to say that just hearing her play the "Purple Rain" riff, with Prince being gone now and knowing she played it in to history, is pretty magical. Sitting next to her probably has 10x the magic.
Wendy and Lisa are fantastic musician and Prince as great as he was , was lucky to have them!
Hear hear!
Amazing! I didn't know the first chord of Purple Rain had a D (3rd) on the bottom! I always played a plain Bb sus2, but with the D on the bottom adds something real special! That's what was missing! Thank you Wendy!!
Rock on!
Yep, that D is the key to getting it to sound right. Also, a couple times on the album version and in many live vids from that period she was adding the third (A at the 2nd fret on the G string) to that big stretched Fsus2 chord too, which is a super awkward fingering, but again nails the sound. A lot of tabs show it as a normal F major - nope.
Can we just appreciate for a second the beauty of this woman? Magnificent proffessional, guitarist and artist.
Thank you.
Couldn't agree more!
I am mesmerized by how she played the Purple Rain intro. She is a real pro!!
She wrote it
Seems Prince was a better judge of talent, than the negative posters here. 😂
Sometimes it’s not “talent” artists are looking for. They want people who understand music. People who aren’t going to make the song about themselves.
@@07foxmulder Wow, did the point rushmore was trying to make go right over your head. WHOOSH!! smh
Prince is a guitar god and he worked with Wendy, what more do you need to hear? My favorite version of Purple Rain has Wendy for 3:30 minutes... Amazing intro.
The gift of music harnessed by Wendy priceless. Thank you for Purple Rain riff.
💜
The first Wendy and Lisa record is a must listen.
She plays her chords just so dang clean. Beautiful
Wendy in Purple Rain = My first Woman guitar player crush. I taught my daughter to play guitar and I've always referenced Wendy for examples and inspiration. She loves rock guitar playing.
Happy to know I'm not the only one who had a crush on her 😅, which got only reinforced with her appearance in the 'Kiss' video 😊.
Great woman, great musician, love her craftsmanship and playing.
Wendy is so badass! I feel like Prince knew that. He knew what was up & appreciated her, but did Prince fans really grasp just how bad ass she is? For example her completely badass hard af solo in Computer Blue! 💙
The "Purple Rain Tone" is just *_unbelievable._* What a player.
She an amazing artist that has a deep knowledge and passion for music, she really is a master of her craft with a broad range of musical skill and knowledge. If Prince gives you a solo in his show and brings her into his band that says volumes about his impression of her skill set. What an incredible talent and amazing artist.
She was all of what, 18 or 19 years old, when she joined the band?
Whatever she had to offer, it was good enough for Prince, so it was good enough for me🤣
Go Wendy👈
let me tell ya.......prince was never the same without the revolution. wendy and lisa were essential to the magical sound that was prince and the revolution. not to mention i had a MAJOR crush on wendy! xo
You right, Prince got even better with the New Power Generation. He could do even more with funk, jazz and rock.
1000%
I got off the road and was playing guitar in a local cover band in 1984. I was told to learn Purple Rain. Fortunately, I was able to watch Purple Rain and learned how to play the 4th chord, the E-flat add 9. A most lovely chord. Thank you, Wendy! And, Thank You, Prince for featuring Wendy playing the intro to Purple Rain so I could learn that magic chord.
That was THE chord shape of 1983. It was all over "message in a bottle" and "every breath you take".
Rock on!
I feel like I've waited 37 years for this video! Thank you! Always loved Wendy's guitar tones!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Why am I crying 🥲… hearing those sounds brings back to my childhood… I miss my mom, sister, brother so much who passed! Things were rough back then but we always had music. We were so connected. I was 4 when Purple Rain came out… changed my life as a kid. I always wanted to be in the band.
Man up.
She's outstanding. Prince was a master musician so you can be sure that anyone he played with was the best of the best.
Well said.
That Purple Rain tone is absolutely HEAVENLY
☔️☔️☔️💜💜💜
Flood of beautiful memory filled with joy and melancholy swept over as soon as she strummed that first chord.
She's the best!
@@VertexEffectsInc I always thought Prince composed EVERYTHING on Purple Rain and that he was a control freak type who wouldn't allow other band members contribute musically to the project .
I could just get lost listening to her play anything! Phenomenal talent!
holy crap she was 19 then. What a legend.
Do not care what anyone says this lady has that special touch all musicians hope to have, she's fantastic.
Agreed!!!
I could listen to that delicious first offering all day long. She really is a super talent.
We agree!
It's amazing how down to earth she is...just the stories she could talk about in her lifetime would be outstanding.
Let's not forget that this is the woman who could hang with Prince and sometimes even out shine him on guitar
She’s a legend!!! Her playing is iconic and shaped the development of popular music. What talent!
Agreed!
Her opening on "Purple Rain" is the single most iconic chord in the entire history of rock/pop.
What is the strumming pattern for that chord that she played. Though for the intro the chords are just played with no strumming.
One of the best of all time!
Give this woman her flowers man she's something special 🌹
The goosebumps i get every time i hear that riff
Wow, I always assumed Wendy just played what Prince wrote but now I'm even more in love with her, and she nailed the iconic solo in the tribute too, what a player. And so normal. What a sweet person.
💜💜💜
I saw Prince, Wendy and Lisa for FREE @ The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in spring 1985. It was LOUD! It was the 1st live performance i've seen ever.
Wow! Cool!
Her ability to fret the purple rain cords are INSANE!!!! its probably in my top 5 favorite of all time ballad guitar pieces.
It's "INSANE!!!!" because why?
Wasn’t she in the band? Lol
Wendy is so down to earth and cool.
The technical side of this goes over my head, but it was great hearing Wendy's range. Between her stuff with Prince and with Lisa, there's always been this cool ambiance I've loved in her playing. Seeing how that manifests is super cool, like going on a journey and not caring where the destination is. Also, I didn't know she worked on that Sheryl Crowe song so that was a neat little extra tidbit.
Thanks for hanging in there!
I appreciate that the interview wasn't all about Prince, but about her, her tone, her experiences and her current projects, and some extra Prince sprinkles. That's very respectful. I really dont like when they interview musicians and it's all about their past, like they are no longer valid or talented anymore.
I wish we had more time to talk about Seal...my only regret here
I would LOVE to see her play today.
I really enjoyed her when she was with Prince, then her stuff with Lisa Coleman. Those were the days!
She's the best!
And to think she was only 19 when she came up with that Purple Rain part! Amazing!
Unreal!
I know, that just blew me away.
She looks like someone standing next to you at the grocery store, going to make some cookies for her grandkids. You'd never think she was an awesome guitarist who was rockin' out with Prince
Wendy is amazing!
I had such a crush on Wendy as a teen. This is a great interview. It's great to hear her "nerd" out about her gear.
💜💜💜
Wendy has ALWAYS been a fantastic guitarist....Prince knew that! She is so fun to watch and such a talent. Have loved her for over 40 years now!(Only wish Prince and she could rock together still today.) Great interview and tour of her rig!
BEAUTIFUL LADY MELVOIN!! That intro always makes me cry
She's very talented. I wish more people could appreciate this side of musicianship. Understanding chords, inversions, chord voicings- it's not appreciated enough. I love it because I love Jazz and Funk, so I sorta relate to this approach.
💜
Whoever this guy is, he really knows his shit, did his research well and that makes for a great interview! Thanks so much - so great to listen to this great artist and how she achives her sound!
Thanks for watching Nick!
You should also listen to Wendy and Lisa interviewed on Questlove Supreme. In fact, the entire surviving members of The Revolution are included, as well as Cymone and Dickerson. Hell, even her sister has a segment.
Listen to that tele weep. 💗 Great to see you still playing, Wendy.
I have always loved Wendy as an Artist. Thanks for this...Really! R.I.P. Prince.
Wendy is an absolute talent, her sound is all over Prince's best work.
Sooo good!
As a guitarist who’s played Purple Rain in many covers bands, it’s absolutely blown my mind that the root note of that first chord was never actually there, it was always implied. 🤯 Mind Blown!
100% agreed!
Back in the early 90's I picked up a copy of 'Eroica' out of sheer curiosity because I love everything about The Revolution, and of course by that time Prince had reinvented his sound and approach at least three times. So after I had put that album on steady rotation it became very obvious to me that Wendy and Lisa had been a big part of creating that absolutely LETHAL melancholy push-pull that defines my forever infatuation with the Purple Rain album.
And yes, Eroica is a fantastic record with strong material from start to finish. Thanks for the music Wendy; you'll always be one of my favorites.
Wow, all this tech talk is going right over my head - lol. It's cool to hear Wendy talk about it.
Wendy is a legend in her own right as far as I'm concerned. I could watch and listen to her play all day. She's got a style and sound that leaves me mesmerised and wanting more. I love her! And for sure, she's on my 'Guitar Heroes' playlist😁😁
Couldn't agree more!
OHHHHHHHH... I see it now!!! I've been playing Purple Rain wrong for over 30 years... lol... Wendy, YOU ROCK!!!
We all have LOL!
...love Wendy...so glad to get an opportunity to hear her talk about what goes on behind the curtain...
Yes! She's amazing!
I love you, Wendy. You and Prince made history.....R.I.P. Prince.
Wendy is awesome! Purple Rain had a profound influence on me as a developing musician.
Great tones for sure! Wendy is a legend!
Wendy is older now, maybe a grandma, normal person look... imagine not knowing who she is and she pulls out Purple Rain at some bar and blows everyone’s mind.
she's amazing!
What a talented and gorgeous lady. And that voice, so smooth and articulate...!
Best in the biz!
I may be a rocker, but I've loved her sound and playing since I first heard the opening chords to Purple Rain. She's a true master.
Great guitar playing on purple rain both lead and rhythm, one of my all time fav tracks.
It's nice to finally hear Purple Rain played correctly!
She looks great!! It must've been amazing making music with Prince. It's nice to see her still doin' her thing.😊
I could listen to that dreamy American ambient space float for hours on end.
Just Put me in a floatation chamber with that on and I don't know where I'll end up.
Wendy is a pedal magician and that fella has polished up her magic with love and respect in his heart.
Uber cool...👍
Wendy is an amazing musician!!
Really loved watching this.
💜💜💜
18:23 so beautiful! I’ve loved Wendy since 85. She was my first girl crush and still keeps me entranced with anything she does. 💜💜
Wendy rocks!
Wendy
yup, the last two are destroyer of fingers.